OSHA to host small biz teleconferences on proposed injury log column

April 5 2011

OSHA and the Small Business Administration are teaming up to hold a series of three teleconferences next week “to reach out to the small business community for input on OSHA’s proposal to add a column for work-related musculoskeletal disorders on employer injury and illness logs,” the agencies said.

“This proposal would require those employers already mandated to keep injury and illness records to add the step of checking a column when recording work-related musculoskeletal disorders,” the agencies added.

The teleconferences will be held on Monday, April 11 at 1:30 p.m. EDT. The second and third will be held Tuesday, April 12, 2011, at 9 a.m. EDT and 1:30 p.m. EDT. “Participants may provide input about their experiences in recording work-related MSDs and how they believe the proposed rule would impact them,” OSHA said.

OSHA added, “The proposed rule only covers MSDs that employers are already required to record under the longstanding OSHA rule on recordkeeping. Prior to 2001, OSHA’s injury and illness logs contained a column for repetitive trauma disorders that included hearing loss and many kinds of MSDs. In 2001, OSHA proposed separating hearing loss and MSDs into two columns, but the MSD column was deleted in 2003 before the provision became effective. OSHA’s proposal would restore the MSD column to the Form 300.”

For more information on how to participate in the teleconferences, click here.